Port Washington Branch Explained

Port Washington Branch
Type:Commuter rail
System:Long Island Rail Road
Status:Operational
Locale:Queens and Nassau County, New York, USA
Start:Woodside
End:Port Washington
Stations:13
Daily Ridership:46,808 (average weekday, 2006)
Ridership2:9,928,915 (annual ridership, 2023)[1]
Open:1854 (as Flushing Railroad)
Owner:Long Island Rail Road
Operator:Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Electrification:750 V (DC) Third rail

The Port Washington Branch is an electrified, mostly double-tracked rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. It branches north from the Main Line at the former Winfield Junction station, just east of the Woodside station in the New York City borough of Queens, and runs roughly parallel to Northern Boulevard past Mets-Willets Point (Citi Field), Flushing, Murray Hill, Broadway, Auburndale, Bayside, Douglaston, Little Neck, and then crosses into Nassau County for stops in Great Neck, Manhasset, and Plandome before terminating at Port Washington.[2]

The Port Washington Branch is the only LIRR branch to not serve Jamaica, a major LIRR transportation hub, as it branches off the Main Line at Winfield Junction, several miles northwest of Jamaica. Thus, passengers seeking to switch to other LIRR services without going into Manhattan must instead transfer at Woodside station.

Route description

The line has two tracks from Woodside to Great Neck and one track from east of Great Neck past Manhasset and Plandome stations to Port Washington. This often causes slight delays to one train to spread to other trains. A second track cannot be added through Manhasset and Plandome due to the proximity of businesses to the narrow right-of-way in Manhasset, and the fact that the Manhasset Viaduct, which carries the line between Great Neck and Manhasset, has only one track.[3]

Most peak-hour trains are either local between Manhattan and Great Neck (making all stops) or express between Manhattan and Port Washington (making stops only at Bayside, Great Neck, Manhasset, Plandome station, and Port Washington, although a few morning express trains run nonstop between Great Neck and Penn Station).[4]

Extra service is offered during the U.S. Open tennis tournament and for New York Mets home games, both of which are held in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. These trains primarily pick up and discharge passengers at the Mets–Willets Point station between Woodside and Flushing Main Street; formerly a station used exclusively for events, Mets–Willets Point has been open full-time since April 2023.[5]

The route also runs over the Manhasset Viaduct, a high train trestle over the marshes at the southern end of Manhasset Bay. The bridge stands 81feet tall and runs 678feet across the bay, offering a view of the Manhasset Bay. Scenes from the Hearst-produced silent film serial "The Perils of Pauline" are said to have been shot on the trestle.[6]

There is only one grade crossing on the Port Washington Branch, located at Little Neck Parkway, at the west end of the Little Neck Station.

History

19th century

The Port Washington Branch was built by the Flushing Railroad, in 1854 from Hunters Point in Long Island City to Flushing, before the LIRR opened its line to Long Island City. It was the first non-LIRR line on Long Island. The company was reorganized in 1859 as the New York and Flushing Railroad, and established a subsidiary known as the North Shore Railroad to extend the line from Flushing to Great Neck in 1866.

Originally intending to run further east to Roslyn, Oyster Bay, and even Huntington, the NY&F's plans were thwarted by the LIRR who reached those destinations first, as well as poor service and competition with the 1868-established Flushing and North Side Railroad. In 1869, the New York State Legislature authorized the Flushing and North Side to buy the New York and Flushing east of the LIRR crossing at Winfield Station, while the segment between Hunters Point and Winfield was acquired by the South Side Railroad of Long Island until it was abandoned for passenger service east of what was to become the former Laurel Hill Station in 1875. Part of the right-of-way ran through what is today the Mount Zion Jewish Cemetery in Maspeth.[7]

By 1874, all branches of the Flushing and North Side Railroad, including the Main Line to Great Neck were incorporated into the Flushing, North Shore and Central Railroad, which included the Central Railroad of Long Island. Two years later, it would become part of the Long Island Rail Road, which closed the line east of Flushing in 1881 and reopened it a year later as subsidiary known as the Long Island City and Flushing Railroad. The LIC&F was merged with the LIRR on April 2, 1889.[8]

Despite a failed attempt to extend the line from Great Neck to Roslyn in 1882, wealthy Port Washington residents persuaded the LIRR to bring the terminus to their hometown in 1895. This required the construction of the Manhasset Viaduct over the marshes at the southern end of Manhasset Bay, which was authorized by an LIRR subsidiary called the Great Neck and Port Washington Railroad (GN&PW). According to Manhasset's website, "in 1897, a contract was given to the Carnegie Steel Company and a subsidiary, the King Iron Company, undertook the job of constructing the bridge." The trestle bridge cost about $60,000, and the first train to cross it was on June 23, 1898. The GN&PW was disestablished as a subsidiary in 1902, and that segment simply became part of the Port Washington Branch.

20th century

Two other early 20th-century stations built on the Port Washington Branch were in Auburndale (1901) and Plandome (1909). The branch was electrified from the main line to Winfield Junction by June 23, 1910, to Whitestone Junction onto the Whitestone Branch to Whitestone Landing Station by October 22, 1912, and to its terminus in Port Washington by October 21, 1913.[9] In 1910, the Public Service Commission approved the LIRR's application to eliminate grade crossings along the line. These projects were prerequisites for the extension of the line's second track to Great Neck and Whitestone and the electrification of the line.[10]

Grade crossing elimination projects took place during the 1910s and 1920s in Queens and Nassau County. These grade elimination projects included unique station reconstruction in places such as Murray Hill which had a station house built over the tracks and Great Neck which had an elaborate plaza built around it. In 1929, the station at Winfield Junction was eliminated, making Woodside Station the transfer point between Main Line and Port Washington Branch trains.

Despite the elimination of the Whitestone Branch in 1932, as well as Flushing Bridge Street station, Flushing station kept the name "Flushing-Main Street Station." A new station was built just in time for the 1939 New York World's Fair then reused for the United Nations, and then the 1964 New York World's Fair and simultaneously Shea Stadium, for which it would be renamed in 1966. This was the last station to be built on the line. By 1985, when Elmhurst station closed, Shea Stadium station would also become the westernmost station on the Port Washington Branch before the junction with the Main Line.

In January 1987, the station building at the Plandome station was burned to the ground by vandals.[11] [12] Following the fire, the station building was rebuilt as a more modern version of the original.[13]

21st century

In conjunction with the East Side Access project, the MTA proposed two readiness projects that they said will increase capacity on the Port Washington Branch. The first was the extension of a pocket track east of Great Neck station, located between the station and where the line becomes single-tracked. The pocket track was extended eastward by 1200feet to allow for storage of a second trainset, in addition to the one that the original pocket track could store. The construction of the pocket track was originally scheduled for completion in December 2018 at a total cost of $45.2 million.[14] However, the completion date was pushed back several times;[15] [16] construction of the extended pocket track would ultimately be completed in December 2022. [17] Alongside this project, a new bridge was built at Colonial Road near Great Neck station; it opened in May 2016 and replaced a 114-year-old span.[18] [19] [20] [21] [22]

The second of the two readiness projects is the expansion of Port Washington Yard, next to Port Washington station., construction was scheduled to begin in late 2020 or early 2021 at a cost of $500,000.[14] [23] However, this project met significant community opposition, primarily because of proposed reduction of parking spaces near the station.[24], the MTA has not come to an agreement with the Town of North Hempstead,[15] resulting in the project being postponed indefinitely.[25]

On July 9, 2024, the sides agreed to a memorandum of understanding (MOU) under which the LIRR would study expanding the yard. At the North Hempstead Town Hall meeting that evening (where the MOU was unanimously approved), Assemblywoman Mariann Dalimonte stated in response to a question from a member of the public that she and Supervisor DeSena had expressed the concern as to whether or not there would be any service improvements from this project to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which oversees the LIRR. Dalimonte said they asked the MTA to ensure that services would be expanded if the project is completed, but the MTA said they could not guarantee it. [26]

Stations

West of, all trips go on to terminate at or Grand Central.[27]

Zone[28] LocationStation nameMiles (km)
from Long Island City
Date
opened
Date
closed
Connections and notes
1Woodside, Queens3.1miles1869[29] Long Island Rail Road

City Terminal Zone
New York City Subway: (at)
New York City Bus:
MTA Bus:

Maspeth, Queens18541929
Elmhurst, Queens18551985Originally named Newtown
Corona, Queens
18531964Originally named Fashion Race Course, then West Flushing
1854
6.7miles1939New York City Subway: (at)
New York City Bus:
Originally named World's Fair, then United Nations, then World's Fair again, then Shea Stadium.
3Flushing, Queens7.5miles1854New York City Subway: (at)
New York City Bus:
MTA Bus:
Nassau Inter-County Express:, n20x
Originally named Flushing
8.4miles1889New York City Bus:
Nassau Inter-County Express:, n20x
9.2miles1866New York City Bus:
MTA Bus:
Nassau Inter-County Express:, n20x
Originally named Flushing–Broadway
Auburndale, Queens9.9miles1901New York City Bus:
MTA Bus:
Nassau Inter-County Express:, n20x
Bayside, Queens10.8miles1886New York City Bus:
MTA Bus:
Nassau Inter-County Express:, n20x
Originally named Bay Side
Douglaston–Little Neck, Queens12.1miles1866New York City Bus:
MTA Bus:
Nassau Inter-County Express:, n20x
Originally named Little Neck
12.7miles1870New York City Bus:
MTA Bus:
Nassau Inter-County Express:, n20x
4Great Neck13.8miles1866Nassau Inter-County Express:
Originally named Brookdale
Manhasset15.4miles1899Nassau Inter-County Express:, n20x
Plandome16.5miles1909
Port Washington18.1miles1898Nassau Inter-County Express:

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2023 ANNUAL RIDERSHIP REPORT . mta.info . June 6, 2024.
  2. Web site: MTA Railroads Map. New York. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. March 16, 2023.
  3. http://www.forgotten-ny.com/SUBWAYS/pwbranch2/LIRRmanhassetbridge1.jpg Image of single track across Manhasset Viaduct
  4. Changes to LIRR Port Washington Branch service in 2023 . Metropolitan Transportation Authority . September 18, 2023.
  5. MTA Long Island Rail Road Announces Around-the-Clock Service to Mets–Willets Point Beginning Monday, April 24 . April 21, 2023 . Metropolitan Transportation Authority . September 18, 2023.
  6. Web site: Sloan . Allan King . October 2005 . The Manhasset Viaduct . King Bridge Company . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20060303154035/http://www.kingbridgeco.com/manhasset_viaduct.htm . March 3, 2006.
  7. http://www.arrts-arrchives.com/images2/nyfrrbp1.jpg 1924 Long Island Railroad Corporate Blueprint (Arrt's Arrchives)
  8. Web site: Corporate Succession Long Island Railroad. pennsyrr.com.
  9. Web site: LIRR Branch Notes. trainsarefun.com.
  10. The Long Island Railroad Twenty-Ninth Annual Report For The Year Ending December 31st, 1910. Report of ..., Trustee[S] of the Property of the Debtor, for the Year Ended ...1949–1953 . Long Island Railroad Company. 1911.
  11. News: Goldberg. Nicholas. January 4, 1987. Fire Guts Historic Station. Newsday. .
  12. Web site: Port Washington Branch. January 21, 2021. www.trainsarefun.com.
  13. News: Goldberg. Nicholas. February 26, 1988. After Fire, Plandome, LIRR Still Haggling. Newsday. .
  14. Web site: MTA Long Island Rail Road Committee Meeting . November 2017 . May 24, 2018 . . . 35 . February 5, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180205130002/http://web.mta.info/mta/news/books/archive/140623_1345_CPOC.pdf#page=35 . live .
  15. Joint Metro-North and Long Island Committees Meeting . November 2020 . mta.info . June 14, 2022 . October 13, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211013091935/https://new.mta.info/document/23951 . live .
  16. Joint Metro-North and Long Island Committees Meeting . November 2021 . mta.info . June 15, 2022 . July 7, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220707000115/https://new.mta.info/document/64116 . live .
  17. News: MTA Finishes Great Neck Pocket Track In Advance Of Grand Central Open . Patch . Great Neck, NY . December 6, 2022 . January 14, 2024 . Sweet . Jacqueline.
  18. Web site: MTA Announces Second Pocket Track Proposed for LIRR in Great Neck. Great Neck Record . Kreitzman . Wendy Karpel . November 19, 2010. May 24, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20101209021339/https://antonnews.com/greatneckrecord/news/11688-mta-announces-second-pocket-track-proposed-for-lirr-in-great-neck.html. December 9, 2010.
  19. Web site: MTA LIRR Proposed Colonial Road Improvement Project. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/658cb1gQ9lU . December 19, 2021 . live. MTA Long Island Rail Road. November 18, 2011. March 23, 2011.
  20. Web site: MTA LIRR – Colonial Road Improvement Project. web.mta.info. October 23, 2016. October 24, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161024024901/http://web.mta.info/lirr/colonialroad/infocenter.htm. dead.
  21. Web site: LIRR Opens Info Center at Great Neck Station for Proposed Colonial Road Improvement Project . MTA Long Island Rail Road . November 18, 2011 . Zambuto . Sam . Arena . Salvatore . March 28, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111105114143/http://mta.info/mta/news/releases/?agency=lirr&en=110328-LIRR27 . November 5, 2011 . dead.
  22. News: The Completion of Colonial Road Bridge . July 23, 2016 . Great Neck Record . June 14, 2022 . October 17, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211017162727/https://greatneckrecord.com/the-completion-of-colonial-road-bridge/ . live .
  23. Web site: L60601YL Port Washington Yard Reconfiguration. web.mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 3, 2017. September 3, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170903211912/http://web.mta.info/capitaldashboard/allframenew_head.html?PROJNUM=l60601yl&PLTYPE=1. live.
  24. News: Outta space: Few places to park at LIRR lots . Castillo . Alfonso A. . November 29, 2015 . Newsday . June 15, 2022 . June 15, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220615153453/https://www.newsday.com/long-island/lirr-lots-overwhelmed-by-parking-demands-t43738 . live .
  25. Web site: Important LIRR Commuter Update: Express Trains Have Been Saved . nysenate.gov . Kaplan . Anna M. . Anna Kaplan . September 28, 2022 . October 1, 2022.
  26. News: North Hempstead enters agreement to conduct study on additional Port Washington LIRR track - Featured . The Island 360. Cameryn. Oakes. July 10, 2024. July 31, 2024.
  27. Web site: LIRR Port Washington Branch Timetable. New York. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. May 23, 2023.
  28. Web site: New Fares — Effective April 21, 2019 . . April 27, 2020.
  29. [Vincent F. Seyfried]